


Taste the Sun

by misura



Category: Bodyguard (TV 2018)
Genre: M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:13:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21833491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: In which Deepak Sharma decides to Do Something about David Budd and his sad looks.
Relationships: David Budd/Deepak Sharma
Comments: 11
Kudos: 24
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	Taste the Sun

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Roga](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roga/gifts).



Deepak had promised himself that he would stay away from David Budd and his sad looks and chiseled jaw - _leave it to Occupational Health,_ he'd told himself, _they're the professionals,_ but then he tried to think, _it's got nothing to do with you, does it?_ and that was where the whole thing fell apart, more or less, because Deepak knew that it did, in fact, have something to do with him.

All of which meant that when he happened on David, looking a bit forlorn, hanging around the office - _desk duty,_ Deepak's mind suggested, which sounded about right: nice and safe and boring, perfect for someone who'd been through all the shit David had been through, instead of walking away, Deepak found himself walking toward David.

 _Just to say 'hello',_ he assured himself. _Just being polite._

"You all right, mate?" he said, which wasn't quite 'hello' but, to be fair, this was David.

David looked up. Something about his expression suggested that he was happy to see Deepak, though that might also be nothing more than wishful thinking, and he said, "Getting there."

Deepak tried to look at David objectively, like he'd never seen David before today, but he didn't quite manage it. He said, "Good," and David nodded.

"Talking with Occupational Health - it's a big help."

It sounded like a line. It might, in fact, be one - or it might be Deepak's imagination again.

"You?" David asked, and Deepak made himself smile.

"Business as usual, but at least things have calmed down a bit." The terrorist threat level had been adjusted back down, so that was good. He hadn't seen Anne Sampson for close to a week, which was also good.

Deepak didn't think she'd be able to look at him and know he'd suspected her of being the inside woman who'd been willing to let David die in order to cover her tracks, but generally speaking, in their line of work, the less one saw of one's higher-ups, the better.

"That's good, that is," David said. His mouth looked like it was trying to smile back, but it didn't quite work.

"Listen," Deepak heard himself say, "I really need to get back to the office, but you want to maybe grab a bite to eat sometime?"

David looked surprised, then grateful, then nervous, then determined. "Sure. Why not? Tomorrow? It's just, I've got the kids tonight," he added, as if he thought Deepak would be offended at his lack of immediate availability.

"Looking forward to it," Deepak said.

Deepak didn't think that he was particularly bad at keeping his feelings to himself, but then halfway through the afternoon Louise gave him a look and said, "So you're looking pretty happy. Anything you want to share with the rest of us? Because the way this investigation's going, I could use a bit of good news."

"Personal business," Deepak said. "Sorry."

Louise shrugged and tried to look like she was trying not to look disappointed. "That's fine. Forget I asked."

Deepak weighed the cons of Louise acting like a professional and spending the rest of the afternoon not prying or speculating or guessing versus the pros of getting it over with. Sure, it wasn't guaranteed that she'd find out eventually, but - well, there was a reason he had Louise on his team.

"Date," he said, and then, before she could ask, "Someone you know, actually. David Budd."

He saw her analyze the information and reach what were probably all the right conclusions: it was a very new development, he and David hadn't really met until this recent business, and a guy who'd previously been married and then having sex with his (also female) principal might be gay or bisexual or a dating disaster waiting to happen.

"Good luck," she said.

"Thank you." Deepak figured it might be less a matter of luck and more a better of keeping his head, but a bit of luck never hurt.

Deepak wondered how long it had been since anyone'd taken David out on a date, though he suspected he knew as much of an answer as was useful: a long time. The restaurant he'd picked was nice, but not too posh or expensive - not the sort of place Julia Montague might have chosen.

The food was good, and there were some clear lines of sights, a limited number of entry points. David still kept looking around from time to time, looking for potential threats.

Deepak wondered how long it would be until Occupational Health cleared him for duty again.

 _Relax,_ he wanted to say, reaching out to put his hand on top of David's, to establish some sort of physical connection, however tenuous. _Neither of us is so important that anyone'd want to have us assassinated,_ but of course it wasn't just about that.

"Is this all right?" he asked. "We can leave if you'd rather go somewhere else." He'd toyed with the idea of cooking for David himself, of asking David back to his place - for dinner only, it went without saying, and maybe a bit of talking, after.

"No, it's - " David hunched a bit, looking like Deepak had caught him doing he wasn't supposed to be doing. "It's fine. Food's really good. You come here often?"

Deepak grinned. He couldn't help it. Seeing David look at him, frowning and then relaxing just a fraction as he got the joke didn't hurt.

"Sorry. That sounded a bit - sorry."

"It's all right," Deepak said, wondering if, and if so why, he was answering his own question.

"This - this is nice," David said. "I'm glad you asked me."

"I'm glad you said 'yes'," Deepak replied. "Dessert?"

David looked tempted, and Deepak experienced a slightly embarrassing moment of wanting to reach across the table and grab him and tell David that if he wanted dessert, he should order dessert, because he deserved it, David deserved whatever would make him happy again, but then David shook his head and said, "Just some coffee for me, thanks," and Deepak forced himself to let it go.

Louise spent the entire next morning not asking how things had gone, so Deepak spent the entire next morning working and getting on with things that needed getting on with - as did Louise, of course, for all that she also managed to get in a solid amount of not looking concerned about what he was getting himself into.

"Me and Julia - we just happened, you know?" David told him, perhaps a week later.

Deepak had met a lot of people who told him something had 'just happened'. Often as not, there were dead bodies, after - not because someone'd wanted to kill them or commit a crime, no, never; they'd 'just happened' to be arguing or having a chat or getting along great, and then they'd 'just happened' to find themselves stabbing or shoving or hitting someone, and then, well, what had come after hadn't been anyone's fault, really. It had 'just happened', as these things did.

On the other hand, Deepak knew he hadn't really meant to pursue this thing with David this quickly. He'd had his reasons and he liked to think they had been solid ones, rational ones, that he was doing this in part because he wanted to help - perhaps even mostly because he wanted to help, because David deserved help, but lurking underneath it all was his awareness that, well, this was a date.

"You were in love with her," he said.

"I didn't - I don't even know when it happened, really. I didn't mean for it to happen," David said, and Deepak thought, _no one ever does, mate,_ without any cynicism or sarcasm, this time, because it was David.

"Love's like that sometimes, eh?" he said, and David managed a weak chuckle.

"I s'pose." David sighed. "Sorry. Didn't mean to get all sad and mopey on you."

Deepak shrugged. "It's fine. I don't think anybody can blame you after all everything that's happened."

David looked like he didn't entirely believe that, but didn't want to let it show. "Talking - being able to talk about it, it helps. I didn't think it would, but it does. It really helps."

 _Talking's only the first step,_ Deepak thought. _Forgiving yourself's next. Believing it when people tell you that it wasn't your fault, that there's nothing you could have done or said._

"Good," he said. "I'm glad you feel you can talk to me." David cocked his head, like he wanted to point out that wasn't, quite, what he'd said at all, so Deepak added, "Because you can, mate. About anything you want, I'm here for you. I'll listen."

"Thanks," David said. "That's - that's very kind of you."

Deepak smiled. "Hey, you're paying for dinner. Listening's the least I can do."

David's mouth still seemed to have some trouble, but Deepak thought it was getting there: a real smile.

It would be worth waiting for, he thought.


End file.
